Ask The Rabbi
Halachic questions answered by Hagaon Rav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
5,912 questions and answers
# 2027 I See The Light
If during Havdala the electric room lights are off, but the people on the corners of the large room can hardly benefit from that light, should they light another candle and repeat the bracha after Hav...
# 2026 The Smell Test
If many people are present when Havdala is said and it would take a long time, probably more than the time it takes to recite the complete Havdala, for everyone to smell the besamim, what should be do...
# 2025 Keep Their Name
(See question 2014 above). Would it be recommended that if the name given to an institution, was given "Leilui Nishmas" of one of his relatives, the donor should agree that at least those names, witho...
# 2024 Clear His Name
Someone donated a large sum to an institution and was therefore granted that his name should be given to it. Years later, the donor decided that he does not want the institution to carry his name anym...
# 2023 Play Your Cards Right
(See question 2022 above). Can someone staying in a hotel during Shabbat give the plastic card key for opening the room-door to a friend that uses that card key on Shabbat? The holder of the key uses ...
# 2022 Milk of Human Kindness?
Is it permitted for someone that is careful to eat only products that contain Chalav Yisrael, to serve to his guest that eat non Chalav-Yisrael pastries and chocolates as long as they have proper Kash...
# 2021 Thanks, But No Thanks
In past years, when rainfall has been middling, Rabbanim in Eretz Yisroel (and perhaps other countries) have called for extra tefillos to appeal to Hashem to send rain – so with this year’s surfeit of...
# 2020 Pump the Shailah
My one use hand soap pumps which turn the soap in to a foam, on Shabbos?...
# 2019 A Non-Baruch Bracha?
Can I fullfill my obligation to say a bracha, if I omit the word baruch? Or if I replace baruch with the word mishubach? (Because the words which baruch (or a word for root brch) is paralleled with ...
# 2018 The Impact of the No-Pact
The Baal HaTurim writes (Sh’mos 1:1) that the Yidden were redeemed from Egypt because they kept Shabbos and Milah there. How is it possible that they kept Milah? It says in Sh’mos Rabbah (1...
# 2017 A Pareve Shailah
Hello Rav, I like to use leftover Shabbas Challah to eat with dairy on Sunday mornings. In order to do this, I remove the extra challah from the table before the meat course (leaving just a small one...
# 2016 Of Dogs and Donkeys
Why were the dogs in parshas Bo rewarded with only scraps of treif animals, while the donkeys were honored with the holiness of kedushas bechora?...
# 2015 Competent Competing
An insurance salesman had the following question. His business requires offering insurance packages to customers. Often times the customers have previous insurance policies in place, and he is merely ...
# 2014 Catch Me Later
When listening to Havdalah over grape juice, I make a silent stipulation that I am being yotzi with him, unless I decide later on to make my own. Later on, I may decide to repeat Havdalah on wine, esp...
# 2013 Good to Hear Your Voice
A person who will be eating Friday night by a family where the person making Kiddush does not properly articulate the words, mumbles, or otherwise makes Kiddush incorrectly - and does not offer his gu...
# 2012 Sign In?
An elevator that opens directly into someones apartment, and there is a regular wooden door that closes with a lock the entrance from the elevator to the apartment. Does that door that is similar to o...
# 2011 Elevating the Elevator
Does an elevator that measures more than six by six feet and services a condo building were all or most of the owners are Jewish require a mezuza?...
# 2010 Refuah Shleima
I have diabetes Type 2. I need to check my sugar levels a number of times a day to ascertain how much insulin to inject. To inject insulin without checking the sugar level is dangerous because injecti...
# 2009 Am I Right?
I am halachically a lefty, but since there are some sfeikos regarding my status, I put also (tefilin) on my left hand after davening. I always take my shel yad, turn it the other way and put it on. Re...
# 2008 In Heaven's Name!
Re- question 1993 on Yale’s emblem. Columbia University has a coat of arms, it appears on all cards that staff of the university carry clipped to their clothing and also appears on the floor of t...